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REVIEW: Aloft Bangkok Sukhumvit 11, Savvy Suite

Published by Shane

I came to Bangkok for business this weekend and decided to check out a few hotels along the way. Since I was arriving late into Bangkok late on Wednesday evening, I decided to book the cheapest Starwood property available in town to clock a stay for one night, before moving on to other hotels the next day.

Aloft Bangkok Sukhumvit 11 is my choice this time round, given that their cheapest room went at about THB3000 (S$120). I didn’t book early enough, because there were times where early bird discounts drive the room price as low as THB2400.

Depending on the time of the year, another Starwood property, Four Points by Sheraton Sukhumvit 15 may take the place of being the cheapest Starwood property in Bangkok city, so do check both hotels.

I booked myself into the entry level Chic Room simply because it was only for one night. Or a little over 12 hours, to be exact. Checking in at midnight is definitely not a fantastic way to start a trip and all I wanted was to hit the showers and the bed. There was only one other guest checking in before me (you will imagine that no one checks in at midnight) and I was impatiently waiting for my turn. Kudos to the front desk staff, check-in was very fuss free and quick, and when he handed me the room key, he said the magic words, “We have upgraded you to a suite.” My eyes widened only because I forgot that SPG tends to provide upgrades for their gold and platinum customers, except at resorts!

So I got myself a suite!

*Savvy suite – Photo from Starwood.com (source)*

To be honest, I wasn’t planning on reviewing this property but since it’s the first time I stayed in a suite at Aloft, why not?

Aloft has a reputation to be the wannabe of W Hotels, almost like a pesky younger sibling. In fact, its tagline – A Vision of W – unabashedly positions itself so. At Aloft Bangkok Sukhumvit 11, you can vouch that this is definitely the party hotel to be at, given the throngs of people streaming in and out of the xwyz bar when I arrived at midnight.

My suite was located on the 31^st floor, just a floor under the top. I’m not a big fan of high floors, particularly when the lifts are few and slow. This was the case with Aloft – not necessarily the slow bit but there were only four lifts.

Aloftbkk-4 — *Living room equipped with a sofa and a dining table*

The suite was essentially twice of the regular Chic, Breezy and Urban rooms. There is a certain regularity to the size of the rooms in the entire property (unlike W Bangkok), so there isn’t many ways you can configure them.

The suite consists of a living room and a bedroom, with a bathroom and dressing area that ran the entire length of the room.

Aloftbkk-1 — *Long bathroom with walk-in wardrobe*

The bonus that came with the suite was a bathtub – this is the first time I’ve seen a bathtub in an Aloft room. The body soap and shampoo, however, still came in a push pump bottle.

Aloftbkk-6 — *Bathtub – a rarity in Aloft hotels*

There were also two vanities with a tray of amenities in between. What puzzled me the most was the bar soap – if Aloft is bent on saving money with the press pumps, why not do it for the bar soap too? There are liquid formula for either facial foams or hand washes.

The bed was definitely incredibly comfortable, with good sized pillows and mini bolsters that I liked to use. Do note that the suites only came with King beds, so if you definitely need twin beds in your room, you will have to give up the suite for a regular room.

I was feeling a little hungry so I went down to RE:FRESH, which was Aloft’s signature convenience store/café concept across the entire brand, and had saved my life on several occasions with hot food being available late at night. I ordered some lamb meatballs and a drink for THB230. Still pricey by Thailand standards, but hey for a hotel it’s definitely good value.

The hotel also contains a small gym and an outdoor pool on the 10^th floor. The gym is adequate as long as you are the only person in the gym, while the pool can comfortably contain perhaps a dozen people.

Aloftbkk-7 — *RE:charge – which is essentially a gym*

Aloft is most famous for its wxyz bar (similar to W’s woobar) and this property is no exception. The perpetual deal was a 1-for-1 deal from 5-9pm daily, and a buy 2 get one free offer from 9pm onwards. Now that makes it perfectly understandable why it was so crowded.

Location wise, the hotel is located deep within Sukumvit Soi 11. A walk out to the closest BTS station, Nana, is about 10 minutes. The soi (lane) is also inundated with plenty of hotels, including Ambassador hotel, and newly opened Mercure and Holiday Inn Express hotels. As a result, the lane is perpetually packed with vehicles, so be sure to book your Grab or Uber well ahead of time, and leave plenty of time for getting from one place to another. If you are leaving for the airport, suggest you plan for a one hour journey. Besides that, the soi is generally popular with Caucasians and packed with bars – very good if you enjoy the Kuta-style sitting at bars and chugging beers the whole night.

Aloft Bangkok Sukhumvit 11 is generally a good and cheap place to stay in Bangkok if you need to clock SPG nights. The only real downside is its location, which can really be a bummer if you, like me, hate to waste time getting from point to point and prefers a more accessible location.

REVIEW: Metropolitan by COMO, Bangkok (Metropolitan Room)

Published by Shane

COMO Metropolitan Bangkok – Metropolitan Room

The Metropolitan by COMO in Bangkok is one of my favourite hotels in the entire city. Despite it being a boutique chain of hotels with no affiliation to any of the major hotel chains (read: no loyalty perks), this remains one of my most memorable hotels for its simplicity in design, comfort and excellent service, making me feel right at home.

About COMO

COMO Metropolitan Bangkok front desk

COMO Hotels and Resorts is a chain of luxury properties across the world, and they believe in providing “luxury travel experiences with personalised service in elegant properties, each individually curated to reflect its location.”

There are 14 COMO properties around the world, with over half of them in Asia. You will notice a trend in the locations they choose for their resorts: most are idyllic or exotic destinations, such as the two resorts in Bhutan and several beach resorts including Phuket and Bali.

And I bet you didn’t know – the COMO Hotels and Resorts is part of the COMO Group, which is owned by Singaporean Christina Ong. Some other well known brands under the COMO Group includes Club 21 as well as F&B brands Culina and Candlenut.

COMO Metropolitan Bangkok

Metropolitan by COMO

COMO Metropolitan Bangkok is located along South Sathorn Road, close to the heart of Bangkok’s financial district and a 10-minute walk to Silom. The property has 169 guest rooms across 7 room types, with most of them the signature Metropolitan Room. There is a small number of suites, making it really exclusive.

Upon arrival at the hotel, the personalised service begins right away. The porters at the driveway will not only help you with your bags, but they go straight to your room. While you are ushered to a sofa in the reception area, the check-in agent comes and collect your passport and credit card from you while you sit back, enjoy their signature welcome drink and a cold towel. Once ready, the agent will come back with your key, a form for you to sign and you are ready to check out your room.

Metropolitan signature welcome drink

I arrived at noon and check-in time was supposed to be 2pm. However, they were able to get the room ready for me within 15 minutes, and once my check-in is complete, another staff escorted me to the room. In the lift, he offered a tour of the hotel, but I declined given that it wasn’t my first stay at the property.

My room was cool when I stepped in, and my bags were already in place. My escort kindly took his leave and I was left to enjoy the welcome fruit basket.

Metropolitan Room L-shaped sofa

I booked myself into the metropolitan room this time round. The metropolitan room is a mid-range room, slightly larger in size than the Urban and City rooms. The room is very spacious, with a L-shaped sofa on one side, and the beds on the other end.

What I really love about the room is how plainly and cosy the room felt. The muted colours, with the apt use of brown tones and earthly colours conveys a feeling of calmness and serenity.

The window stretched across the entire length of the room, while the bathroom takes up the length on the other side.

Metropolitan Room bathroom

The space within the bathroom is overly generous too. A large bath adorns a part of the bath, as well as a huge rainshower area. The bathroom is rightly lit with warm lighting, and I simply love the large granite walls as well.

COMO Shambala bath amenities

While not extravagant, the hotel is well equipped. The COMO brand is well known for its spas and wellness programmes, and this property was no exception. The signature Shambala spa was located on the second floor, where you could enjoy its signature spa for THB 3,000. At the time of my visit they were giving a THB 750 voucher if you spend at least THB 3,000 on spa services.

Jacuzzi in the men’s changing room

Given that Thailand is a land of great and affordable spa services, I have never tried the hotel’s service, but instead indulge in the jacuzzi and steam baths in the changing room. A point about the jacuzzi – it sits by two large glass panels that is well shielded (it is after all in the changing room) but allows natural light to come in, making the place just a little short of an onsen experience.

Gym

Along with the spa, there was also a adequately equipped gym and a swimming pool. The swimming pool had both twin and single bathing decks, and the great service extends there as well. When you head to the pool, the attendant will lay out a bath towel on the deck chairs before you use them, and constantly top up your ice water without you having to ask.

glow restaurant – breakfast time

The hotel contains two great restaurants: glow, the restaurant that serves up healthy options, and nahm, the widely acclaimed Thai fine dining restaurant on the ground floor (they have a firm dislike for uppercase letters.) There is also Met Bar on the side of the hotel as well as in-room dining services for those who are lazy to venture out of their sofas.

The hotel breakfast is served at glow and I will say it’s one of the best hotel breakfasts I ever had. Boasting a continental buffet spread and an a la carte menu just like Pan Pacific’s Pacific Club, glow goes a step further with not a few but an entire menu of healthier options, including egg white omelette, granola and others. The menu reads as follow:

A la carte selection

Golden waffles with fresh mango and passionfruit curd

Vanilla scented french toast with fresh berries, banana and maple syrup

Coconut pancakes with poached pineapple and blueberries

Eggs cooked to your liking with sweet corn cake, roast tomatoes, bacon and pork or chicken sausage

Two egg omelette with sauteed mushrooms, leek thyme and swiss cheese

Eggs benedict; poached eggs, prosciutto and hollandaise on English muffins

Thai style “bacon and eggs” with sticky rice, sweet corn and roast tomatoes

Wok fried thai style rice with chicken vegetables and fried egg

Wok fried egg noodles with prawns, chilli, holy basil and fried egg

Boiled jasmine rice with pork dumplings, soft boiled egg and condiments

glow healthy breakfast selection

Kiwifuit, papaya, longan and blueberry salad with lemongrass syrup

Raw nut and seed ‘granola’ with banana, berries and vanilla yoghurt

Quinoa, apple and dried cranberry porridge with cashew nut milk

Pumpkin and buckwheet pancakes with papaya nectar, orange and cashew nut cream

Raw nut and seed ‘toast’ with avocado, tomato, cucumber and lemon dressing

Steamed seasonal green vegetables with poached egg and green goddess sauce

Fluffy egg white omelette with kale, mushrooms and roast tomatoes

Smoked salmon and avocado on toasted seven grain bread with ricotta

Whoever heard of cashew nut milk and papaya nectar?!

The first day, my friend and I was decidedly hungry and went for four main courses and it was probably the wisest food decision of the trip.

Thai style “bacon and eggs” with sticky rice, sweet corn and roast tomatoes

The Thai style “bacon and eggs” was an over generous slab of pork belly, a deep fried whole boiled egg, adorned by a dollop of sticky rice and some vegetables for colour. The result was a visually and fragrant mix of colours and flavours. Not to mention, the meat was succulent, with a good proportion of fats and meat with a good bite.

Vanilla scented french toast with fresh berries, banana and maple syrup

The french toast was excellent as well. While I’m not a big fan of french toast as most places make it too oily, the french toast here was well prepared – crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and leaves no slabs of oil all over your lips when you are done.

Wok fried egg noodles with prawns, chilli, holy basil and fried egg

Coconut pancakes with poached pineapple and blueberries

The second day we tried some other items as well, including the wok fried egg noodles and the coconut pancakes, which were equally amazing.

Like I said, this property is one of the best I have ever stayed in Bangkok, and after a first stay there several years back, I’ve always make it a point to come back for a stay or two every couple of years. While it may not boast of some of the luxuries such as an executive lounge as with most hotel chains, nor provide any kind of loyalty bonus, the hotel’s well thought designs, luxurious feel, and excellent service beats some of the other top end hotels in town any day. It’s my perfect escape in a buzzing city.

REVIEW: Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang

Published by Shane

Having not been to Penang for a while, I left the choice of hotel to friends whom I was travelling with. We ended up with Eastern & Oriental, or better known as The E&O, one of Penang’s finest luxury hotels. A quick Wikipedia search will tell you that this is a combination of not one, but two remarkable properties (Eastern Hotel & Oriental Hotel, hence its current name), founded by the Sarkies Brothers in 1884.

So who are the Sarkies Brothers and what’s the deal with them? They were Armenians who settled in Southeast Asia and became famous hoteliers of the 1880s, having built several luxury properties across Asia, including Singapore’s very own Raffles Hotel.

Location, location, location

The E&O is located in the heart of George Town, along Lebuh Farquhar right by the sea. The closest landmark is Fort Cornwallis, while the famous food streets are either within a 15-minute walk away. For reference, Lebuh Armenian, where most of Penang’s famous murals are, is about a kilometre away.

Location of Eastern & Oriental Hotel

Gurney drive is also a short drive away, with Paragon and Gurney Plaza a 10-minute drive away, depending on traffic.

The hotel

Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Victory Annexe (source)

The hotel is divided into two wings – the Heritage Wing which was where the original front wing was, and the Victory Annexe, the newer wing which was reconstructed and reopened in 2013.

So what’s the difference between the two wings?

Victory Annexe, the corridor

The Victory Annexe is modelled after a business hotel, with two room types – Studio and Corner suites – both more than spacious. All Victory Annexe guests also have access to the Planter Lounge for evening cocktails daily.

Heritage Wing houses some of the hotel’s grander suites, with its two largest suites – the Pinang Suite and the E&O Suite – located within. The Wing provides a highly private service, with a personal butler handling your check-in, and also a 24-hour butler service.

Based on several online reviews, travellers who prefer the Heritage Wing often liked it for its old-world décor and more spacious suites that resembles a mini apartment rather than a hotel room. For guests who are particular about service, the Heritage Wing is also a plus.

Victory Annexe lobby

Both wings are very well equipped, each with its own set of restaurants as well as facilities such as a spa, fitness centre and swimming pool. All rooms come with a complimentary breakfast and guests in the Victory Annexe also enjoy evening cocktails at the Planters Lounge. Both buildings also have a library, where guests can browse or borrow books from.

Gym with a fantastic view, level 5

The suite

For this stay, I stayed in the Studio Suite (55sqm), the smallest room type across the entire hotel. The Victory Annexe boasts of high ceiling across all floors, making the rooms feel roomier.

Studio Suite (55sqm), turned down for the evening

Upon entering the room, I was immediately taken in by the size of the room. Every room comes with a small balcony overlooking the sea, fantastic for a glass of wine while gazing out.

An armchair and side table adorns the corner of the room, great for those lazy mornings with a cup of coffee and your favourite e-magazines or Kindle.

Studio Stuite (55sqm), plush armchair good for lounging in the room

The bathroom was even more amazing. Taking up almost of the room space, the bathroom boasts of two wash basins, and a wardrobe for each occupant. There was an opulent standalone bathtub as well as a separate shower stall, a reason good enough for some people to choose this hotel.

Opulent bathtub, double vanity washbasins

The room also comes with complimentary newspapers and non-alcoholic beverages in the fridge, which are restocked daily.

If you have a group of friends or two couples travelling together, do note that instead of connecting rooms, they could arrange for you to have adjacent rooms which share a same private doorway leading to your rooms. There is a common door that can be closed, and you can leave your room doors opened to have the same effect as connecting rooms.

However, the light switches were extremely confusing. There is a master switch beside the bed that needs to be switched on before anything else can be toggled. Likewise, be sure not to turn that off if you want to charge your devices when you go to bed – the power sockets are controlled by that master switch too.

The services

Planters Lounge serves up daily cocktail hours from 5-7pm for all Victory Annexe guests

The Planters Lounge, spa, fitness room and swimming pool are all located on level five of the Annexe. All guests are invited to the Planters Lounge daily from 5-7pm for complimentary cocktails and refreshments; outside of these hours only coffee and tea are free, while everything else is billable.

Given that the privilege is extended to the entire hotel rather than just the executive club level rooms as with most other hotels, I was prepared for the quality of offers to be less than what I expect from some other properties. Sure enough, the wines were crappy so I settled for Gordon’s gin with tonic. Choice of hot food were often deep fried items, with finger sandwiches or sweet pastries.

Free flow soft drinks, beer, wines and spirits

On the beverage side, apart from the terrible wines, they offered a selection of spirits as well as Anchor beer and soft drinks. If you prefer a non-sugary drink, they do offer Schweppes soda water or you can request for Coke light, which they will bring out for you. But hey, alcohol is not expensive in Penang, so you might be better off checking out the bars in town.

While the lounge food may not be all that awesome, the view is to die for. With a clear view of the Malacca Straits off the west coast of Malaysia, it makes for a pretty picture of the horizon, especially on a clear day. The infinity pool adjacent to the lounge shares the same view, making for a dip anytime of the day very lovely and serene.

Breakfast at Sarkies, Victory Annexe

For breakfast, guests at the Victory Annexe have the option of going to Planters Lounge at level 5 for a quieter experience, or Sarkies at the ground floor. I chose to check out the reputation Sarkies for breakfast. True to great Malaysian hotels, I was duly impressed with the vast selection of food. Apart from the usual offerings of cooked western options and egg station, there was also a Japanese corner with miso soup and sushi, Indian selection of curries and rice, as well as Asian options such as congee and nasi lemak. What was truly impressive were the live cooking stations peddling wonderful local delights such as roti canai, soup noodles and char kuey teow!

Breakfast coffee on the patio

A tip for you: sit at the outdoor patio, which is a lot quieter and breezy. Also, you get to enjoy a good sea view!

Verdict

Staying at the E&O was definitely an exceptional value. With lead-in prices from RM644 nett (S$161) for the Studio Suite if you plan early and grab their early bird deal, this luxury property is definitely not a dream and affordable for a weekend away.

The few complaints that we have with the property comes with the age of the property – insufficient power sockets in the room, troublesome light switches and unreliable hot water in the shower. But these are minor issues, although I would expect a top league hotel to invest in solving these in order to keep the guests coming back.

REVIEW: Pan Pacific Orchard, Pacific Club King Room

Published by Shane

UPDATE: Pan Pacific Orchard is currently closed for a complete redevelopment, due to reopen in 2021.

I was researching for a quick weekend getaway in the peak season of June (what was I thinking) and decided that a staycation was probably more worth the money, given the premium in airfares this month.

Having tried the Conrad Centennial the last time round, I was itching to try out another property with a decently priced Club room.

Having previously stayed at the Pan Pacific Singapore many years back and found the room to be of good value, this time round I decided to go with the sister property, Pan Pacific Orchard.

Once you enter the hotel, you will be greeted by an equally time-worn yet elegant lobby. However, I had difficulty looking for the check-in desk, as I wasn’t sure if that was the concierge counter or the reception.

Check-in desk on the right; Pacific Club entrance to the left

The check-in experience was rather lacking. The check-in desks were considerably small so the separation between different guests became a little too close for my comfort. While I was being served, there was another guest that was speaking to a staff on Sentosa’s offerings, standing so close he could be reading all my personal information off the booking form I was signing. Neither staff noticed my discomfort.

As with many other hotels, the Club rooms are generally located on the upper floor and Pan Pacific Orchard is no exception. I was booked into the Pacific Club King room, and at 35 sqm, (376 sq ft), this is no doubt one of the more spacious rooms that you find in most older properties in Singapore.

Pacific Club King Room

The room is decked out in simple décor, adorned by an armchair and side table by the window. The bed was extremely comfortable and the pillow were great – not too hard nor too slim.

Nespresso coffee, TWG tea

The room is equipped with a Nespresso machine for your caffaine fix, as well as a generous amount of TWG tea for your enjoyment.

Spa bathtub

The bathroom was equally spacious. While I don’t usually use bathtubs, I personally think that bathroom that come with bathtubs and shower stalls exudes a sense of luxury. The room comes with a deep spa-style bathtub with an adjacent shower stall.

Embrace bath and body amenities

Bath amenities were from Embrace, Pan Pacific’s signature range. While it was quite frangrant, it wasn’t memorable in any way.

All Pan Pacific rooms also come with Handy, a smartphone that guests can bring along with them everywhere they go with umlimited calls (even international calls, up to 15 countries), and mobile internet. Depending on where the tourists come from ,This is very handy and provides significant savings, especially for tourists who may be in town for only a day or two but do not wish to grab a travel SIM card or splurge on roaming fees.

After checking out the room, I decided to go for a quick workout in the gym before the cocktail hours at the club lounge. The gym, swimming pool and Pan Pacific’s signature St Gregory Spa are all located on level 4.

Pan Pacific Orchard gym

Unlike some hotels in Singapore such as Fairmont and Fort Canning Hotel that runs a full gym with its own membership programmes, Pan Pacific Orchard has a relatively small but well equipped gym. Apart from the usual cardio machines, there is also a full rack of dumbbells (up to 20kgs) and a cable machine, adequate for a light workout unless you can’t go without your deadlifts or squats. You will need a key card to access the gym, and towels and water are available.

Singapore’s only mineral water swimming pool

Pan Pacific Orchard also features Singapore’s only mineral water swimming pool. The outdoor pool is a squarish pool overlooking Claymore Road, and is free of chlorine so those with sensitive skin can go ahead and dip without worries. Being an older hotel, that also means that it’s a standard pool and not a new, fancy infinity pool you tend to see in newer properties.

While services at the St Gregory Spa is priced at a premium (as with every other hotel spas), guests may access the jacuzzi, sauna and steam room facility for free. Do note that while these facilities are indoors, they are co-shared between genders and located outside the changing rooms in a separate area right behind the spa’s front desk.

Pacific Club Lounge

After the workout it was time to hit the Pacific Club lounge for some evening drinks and snacks. Cocktail hours are 6pm to 8pm at Pan Pacific Orchard.

The Pacific Club lounge is located on level 2 (the lobby level), right next to the check-in desks. I generally prefer locations of hotel executive lounges to be a little bit more exclusive, so where this lounge was located was not exactly ideal for me.

Pacific Club Lounge

Being my first visit there, the lounge looked very dated to me at first glance. However, what surprised me was how spacious the lounge was and relative lack of crowd. This is in spite of a full-day meeting that was going on in the boardroom within the lounge, and the meeting attendees were taking their dinner in the club lounge during the time I was there. Definitely rather exclusive.

Evening cocktails and refreshments from 6pm to 8pm daily

I got myself a table by the window and parked myself there with my iPad while I checked out the offerings. On the counter today was a good spread of light bites, featuring tuna tataki, seared salmon, mini ham crossiants (my favourite), sandwiches and a full salad bar. There was also local favourites such as curry puffs, char siew puffs, crackers as well as a pot of beef stew. Plus, fruits and cakes were also available for those with a sweet tooth. Definitely one of the best variety of food I’ve seen in a club lounge!

For those craving for some booze, the Pacific Club lounge serves up G.H Mumm Brut Cordon Rouge, a light, citrusy champagne that is easy to drink but not particularly memorable. Apart from the bubbly, the lounge also offers a selection of red and white wines (which I didn’t touch this round), as well as a range of quality spirits.

Mini croissants – my favourite

Service in the lounge was personal and attentive, with the wait staff and the lounge manager going around offering top ups on their beverages rather than having to self serve at the bar. The lounge manager, Ken, came up and introduce himself. What was outstanding was the fact that all the wait staff were able to address me by name, which added a nice touch on top of the great offering in the lounge.

Lobby Lounge

For those who did not book into a club room, there are plenty of food and drink options within the hotel itself. The Lobby Lounge features a daily happy hour of S$20 nett for two wines, beers, or housepour spirits from 5pm to 9pm daily. If you are oyster fan, add $15 nett for six freshly shucked oysters too.

10 at Claymore (source)

The hotel’s signature restaurant, 10 at Claymore, also boasts a Weekend Teatime Classic every Saturday and Sunday, 1pm to 3pm, for S$48++ per adult (half price for kids), featuring favourite lunch and teatime fares.

The next morning, I had a choice of either breakfast at 10 at Claymore, or in the Pacific Club lounge. Wanting a quiet breakfast, I went for breakfast in the lounge which had another surprise for me – breakfast was made to order from an ala carte menu, on top of the baked goods that were on display buffet style.

Pacific Club Lounge Roti Canai

The menu featured East and West options and I went for roti prata with chicken curry. The roti prata came out hot and crispy, and there was a generous serving of chicken chunks that came with the curry, very much to my delight.

While I was very much elated with my roti prata, I badly wanted another go at the menu so I ordered another Nasi Lemak, which came with curry chicken, beef rendang, fried anchovies, peanuts and a full boiled egg. The wait staff was a bit startled when I made the second order, so I asked if it was going to be huge, to which he said yes. So I requested for less rice.

Pacific Club Lounge Nasi Lemak

The nasi lemak was finger licking good. What was amazing was that the beef rendang was tender and warm, something that most hotels can’t get right even if they serve it up at breakfast. I was a glutton – I finished all of that as well.

Pacific Club Lounge Strawberry Pancakes

However, the experience could have been way better if the chain had paid closer attention to finer details of service. For instance, Global Hotel Alliance, or GHA, has been pushing for direct bookings on Pan Pacific website by offering a complimentary upgrade and late checkout, subject to availability. During the check-in, this was not offered nor mentioned. While I understand this is on a room available basis, even if the upgrade was not possible, the check-in staff should have mentioned it with apologies.

Screen Shot 2017-06-02 at 3.00.24 pm.png

Screenshot captured from PanPacific.com booking engine

Also, according to Pan Pacific’s website, Pacific Club guests can enjoy the following:

Personalised butler service
Exclusive access to the Pacific Club Lounge for complimentary breakfast, all-day refreshments and evening cocktails
Complimentary use of Pacific Club Boardroom for an hour
Laundry service for up to two garments daily and shoe polishing
Limousine airport transfers at special rates
Welcome amenities and fruit platter
Complimentary local telephone calls
LCD television with local and cable channels and laptop connectivity
Embrace bathroom amenities
Pillow menu with a choice of organic buckhead hull, contour, coil polyester or foam pillows
Complimentary wired and wireless high-speed Internet access
Morning wake-up service with your choice of hot beverage
Save 20% at hotel’s restaurants and bars
Save 10% at our award-winning spa, St. Gregory

What was upsetting was that I certainly didn’t even know that the above were offered, until I checked out the website description. I certainly wasn’t offered a personalised butler service, nor did I see any welcome amenities nor fruit platter in the room. Be sure to request it if it matters to you.

Nonetheless, the property and the overall stay experience was still a pleasant one. The slightly off Orchard Road location leaves it quiet and peaceful for a weekend out, while providing that proximity to the heart of town. While it’s definitely a little dated and not as opulent as some of the larger hotels, it’s definitely worth its price for a retreat.

Book here.